Collard Greens

by amvandenhurk | Lifestyle, Small Town Life

My Mom asked me, “If I was becoming Southern?” when I told her I made collard greens.

There are many foods, which come to mind when someone says Southern cooking and collard greens is at the top of my list… Other than fried green tomatoes, okra, and sweet tea.

Collard greens are a staple in eastern North Carolina. People grow them. Pick-ups parked along the road sell them. Restaurants serve them. Every grocery store stocks them year round. They are cheap, abundant, and easy to prepare.

After two years of living in the South, I finally made collard greens. I purchased a shopping bag full at my local farmer’s market.

Collards in general are a healthy leafy veg; however, the traditional preparation is less than so… Pork, lard, etc. While that tastes really yummy, it isn’t exactly good for our health or waistlines.

I made my collards with turkey bacon, sliced garlic, chicken broth.

I cut out the stems then cut the collards into smallish pieces. Then I sautéed the sliced turkey bacon and garlic in olive oil until cooked. I added the collards sautéing for a couple of minutes. I added enough chicken broth to cover the mixture simmering over low heat for an afternoon allowing the collards to becoming tender. When serving, finish it with apple cider vinegar and a dash of red pepper flakes. Yum.

Here’s the finished dish:

I served it with grilled pork chop and rice.

Maybe, I’ll tackle brewing sweet tea… Or maybe I’ll just to continue go to McDonald’s…

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone